Warming Foods for Cold Winter -- Kuzu (again)

Kuzu or kudzu, is another yang food. (the root is used)

and kuzu root has also been taken as medicine for hundreds of years in Asia, especially for digestive problems, as well as strengthen your blood and body.
*see the pic? a house is covered by kuzu vines!! it shows how "strong" kuzu is.kuzu can root everwhere so fast and cover up anything!

It is used as a starch, to thicken sauce or stew like gravy.
While corn starch or potato starch are more suitable for summer meals since they are more “cooling”, kuzu starch is perfect for winter meal for its “warming” effect.

Stir fry other vegetables and tempeh, add vegetable stock or dashi, and simmer.
Then add small amount of water-dissolved kuzu root to make a hearty meal : )

Feeling like catching a cold?
Boil a tea cup of water or kukicha tea, add one umeboshi plum, a few drops of soy sauce and water-dissolved kuzu root, (sliced ginger optional)and drink while warm.
this is especially warming and you can feel that your body is getting "heat" from inside!

Craving for dessert?
Cook apples/pears/cranberry with water or apple juice/cider with pinch of sea salt.
Add water-dissolved kuzu.
Fruits are yin(cooling, loosening), and the fruit sugar(also yin) loosens the digestive system, but kuzu and sea salt give a balance to it.---and enhances flavors : )

for water-dissolved kuzu, the ratio is kuzu 1 : water 2 to 3
usually, very small amount, 1 to 2 tbs is enough

Warming Foods for Cold Winter --- Gobo

Burdock root or gobo, has been used for a medicinal purposes in Asia for centuries.
In Japan, people enjoy the earthy yet nutty flavor as comfort food for everyday dishes.
Gobo can grow up to 4 to 6 feet under ground, and it is so strong that if a rock is in the way, the root can penetrate it and continues to grow!

So eating gobo is considered to give you an extra strength, especially when you are sick.

Also, it gives you a sense of groundedness.

You can find them at health food store or Asian groceries.
Soup, stew or even stir fry and simmer with stock, and enjoy!

Warming Foods for Cold Winter

it's been a very cold winter so far.---have i said that just a few weeks ago?
but this is what this season is supposed to be, right?
im still walking in the park every morning : )

In winter(yin), our body needs “warming and strengthening foods(yang)” instead of “cooling, loosening foods(yin)" for a balance.

And root vegetables(more yang), such as carrot, daikon radish, gobo (burdock root), kuzu root, parsnips, turnips, etc etc , are the most suitable foods that the nature offers to us.

again, just because they have good amount of vitamins or whatever, does not mean that you should eat salad greens or banana or orange juice this season!(those are too yin, cooling and loosening).
our body naturally needs different things, depends on season, climate, (or even activity levels).

besides, they are not naturally available this season, in this climate region, you'll have to import from thousands of miles away!

Grated Daikon to dissolve excess fat

so what is good for detox and still easy on your body system?
it's daikon!

daikon is a long shaped white radish,
and relatively yang vegetable(more warming) since it grows under the ground,
has been used digestive aid for centuries in Asia, or to reduce fever, and many other purposes.

grated daikon is especially beneficial to dissolve excess fat and mucus.
in fact, at Japanese restaurants, tempura or grilled fish is always served with grated daikon, which enhances the flavor but the true reason is, to help digestion and dissolve excess fat.

here is a Macrobiotic "after holiday detox drink(soup)"

grate daikon and carrot--about half cup
add them to boiling water, simmer for a few minutes
add a few drops of soy sauce (or tamari)
add umeboshi plum and a sheet or nori (optional)
drink while warm.

this tasty drink is a warming and comfroting, perfect afternoon snack.
try this "detox" drink after you had fish or meat or any fatty food : )

Detox after Holidays

After holiday seasons, with lots of foods and drink---usually heavy----a lot of people decide to eat healthy in the new year.

and to make a fresh start, we tend to go for a quick solution(we always like quick solution!), "reset".

one of the most popular "reset" is "juice detox".

i'm not here to criticize the method.
it may work for some people.
but from macrobiotic point of view, raw vegetables/fruits drink is too yin (cooling, expanding, loosening and weakening).
it makes sense if your daily diet includes lots of yang foods(warming, contracting) like animal proteins, or your activity level is extremely high (also yang).
in fact, raw food(vegetables,fruits, juice) can promote rapid discharge of excess fat.

*if you ate too much turkey or ham, cheese, and drank lots of egg nog during holidays, it may be a good idea to do it for a balance : )

here are some things that we should take into consideration in terms of juice detox.

1 juice detox is more suitable for people with more yang dietary habit.
hence, for vegetarians/vegans, it may be too yin, and can even weaken them.

2 even if juice detox makes sense to you, it's not recommended for a long term.
after a while, the energy levels can go down.

3 especially in winter, yin season, juice detox overly cools your body, especially overburdens kidneys(the organ most affected by winter) and could lead to other yin conditions such as running nose, diarrhea, sneezing, colds, or even leukemia.

* the other day, i was watching a TV show, where a health expert was promoting juice detox, and i notice he had a very dark spot under his eyes, which indicate weakening kidneys.

so, if you really think you need to do this, i recommend you try it for a short period of time.(ideally in spring or summer)